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Joey Logano beats teammate to win at Bristol

BRISTOL, Tenn. -- Kevin Harvick started from the pole and led the first 37 laps until he struggled to get around Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Danica Patrick in traffic, allowing Jeff Gordon to make a pass for

BRISTOL, Tenn. -- A week ago, Joey Logano said he wanted his team included in the championship favorites conversation.

Nothing like a win under the lights at Bristol Motor Speedway to ensure that happens.

Logano tripled his career wins total before this season by winning Saturday night, a victory he called his "coolest win of all time."

Of course, "all time" includes only six wins. But three have come this season, and Logano joined the three-time winners club along with runner-up Brad Keselowski -- his Team Penske ally -- and three Hendrick Motorsports drivers.

So the message he wanted delivered after finishing third at Michigan International Speedway? The NASCAR world has received it loud and clear, much like Logano's excited screams on the team radio after the race.

"It's definitely the best shot I've ever had at a championship, I can promise you that!" Logano said.

Though the Chase for the Sprint Cup -- which starts in three weeks -- seems to be wide open, Logano is certainly one of the favorites. Keselowski is, too, along with other three-time winners Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and two-race winner Kevin Harvick of Stewart-Haas Racing.

But for now, with only Atlanta Motor Speedway and Richmond International Raceway remaining on the schedule before the 10-race playoff begins, the Penske duo might just be the ones to beat.

"I think it illustrated again the place we are right now in preparation for the Chase," Penske Corp. executive vice president Walt Czarnecki said.

Keselowski made a last-ditch effort on the final lap to try and force his teammate into a mistake, but his fourth win of the season wasn't meant to be.

"I dive-bombed it in there on a prayer hoping it would stick or he would slip," Keselowski said. "Made it look good, but it really wasn't close."

Said Logano: "I've never won more than one race in a season before; now I've won three. ... This is one of the three biggest races of the year -- the Bristol night race -- so to see my name on the trophy is really cool."

Logano made the winning pass on Kenseth with 45 laps to go, but it wasn't much of a duel. Kenseth had opted to stay out and try to keep the lead on old tires and couldn't hold off the Penske cars, who were on fresh rubber.

"I just knew that clean air was going to be worth more than new tires," said Kenseth, who is still winless after going to victory lane seven times in 2013. "Man, I wanted to win that thing in the worst way but I just couldn't hold on."

Jeff Burton finished 15th subbing for Tony Stewart, who missed his third consecutive race after his car struck and killed sprint car driver Kevin Ward Jr. at a track in upstate New York on Aug. 9.

Joey Logano, then 18, at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 2, 2009. Joe Gibbs Racing announced Logano would drive the No. 20 Home Depot Toyota Camry in the Sprint Cup Series in fall of 2008. Robert Deutsch, USA TODAY Sports

Joey Logano celebrates after winning his second Sprint Cup series race, the Pocono 400 at Pocono Raceway. He became the first driver in 30 races to win from the pole position. Jerome Miron, USA TODAY Sports

In 2008, Joey Logano became the youngest Nationwide Series winner in history. Here he can be seen doing a burnout after his NASCAR Nationwide Series Alliance Truck Parts 250 win at Michigan International Speedway on June 16, 2012, in Brooklyn, Mich. Jared C. Tilton, Getty Images

Crew members hold back Joey Logano after he and Tony Stewart exchanged punches after the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway on March 24 in Fontana, Calif. Jonathan Ferrey, Getty Images

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Harvick started from the pole and led the first 37 laps until he struggled to get around Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Danica Patrick in traffic, allowing Gordon to make a pass for the lead.

Kyle Busch then caught Gordon and got around him at lap 55. But Busch was tagged with a speeding penalty on pit stops during a competition caution – along with Johnson – that dropped him to the rear of the field.

That left Kenseth in the lead, but the next green-flag run didn't last long. Josh Wise was spun out on lap 69, a back-of-the-field crash which also collected JJ Yeley and Brett Moffitt.

Logano took the lead from Kenseth for the first time of the night just past the 100-lap mark while they battled lapped traffic.

The second multi-car crash happened on lap 125, when Brian Vickers got into Kyle Larson, bounced off him and hit Aric Almirola. The No. 43 car of Almirola then spun and collected Kyle Busch. Clint Bowyer also got a piece of the incident when he plowed through Busch.

"To go out like that is certainly disappointing, but that's racing at Bristol – you get caught up in other people's wrecks," Almirola said.

After the Hamlin-Harvick incident, Harvick inherited the lead on the restart and held it until a caution for Michael Annett, when most of the leaders pitted but Kasey Kahne did not. Kahne, Jamie McMurray, Johnson and Jeff Burton stayed out, giving them favorable track position.

Kahne wasn't able to hold the lead for long due to a loose wheel -- a crucial mistake for his Chase-hopeful team -- and McMurray, looking for his first win of the season, moved out front and led at the halfway point.

Patrick was spun by Alex Bowman on lap 263. Though she was already three laps down, Patrick and her team were angry at Bowman.

"Well, I just got turned," Patrick said. After a discussion about Bowman's driving ability, she added: "We all have control of our cars."

On the restart following the Patrick caution, Keselowski took the lead from McMurray. He retained it past lap 300 despite repeated challenges from the Chip Ganassi Racing driver, but McMurray finally got by again at lap 312.

McMurray remained the leader after pit stops during a debris caution and stayed out with the rest of the frontrunners when Marcos Ambrose wrecked at lap 375.

Logano was chasing down McMurray when a caution came out for debris with 69 laps to go. Those cars pitted, but Kenseth, Edwards, Kyle Larson and Menard did not – putting them in the top four spots with 63 laps left, followed by McMurray and Logano.

Kenseth got away briefly on the restart, but Logano was able to track him down and make the pass with 44 laps left.